WASHINGTON — President Obama’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sunk so low that Israel has been building stockpiles of ammunition behind Obama’s back.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that as diplomatic ties between the two leaders hit the lowest point of Obama’s presidency, Israel’s military continues to reach out to the Pentagon to replenish its weapons.
Once the White House learned of the ongoing military-to-military back channel, Obama administration officials halted the request for a large number of Hellfire missiles.
The decision by the White House was tantamount to the U.S. telling Israel: “The buck stops here. Wait a second … It’s not OK anymore,” a senior Obama administration official told the WSJ.
The revelation underscores the ongoing tension between Obama and Netanyahu, who has secured hawkish allies in Congress, while the White House continues to raise serious concerns over the civilian death toll among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Publicly, Netanyahu has thanked the Obama administration for its support of the Iron Dome missile defense system that has been critical to intercepting Hamas rockets. But privately the two have had tense relations. During Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, Netanyahu openly supported GOP rival Mitt Romney.
The last straw came earlier this month when Israeli officials leaked Netanyahu’s insistence that the Obama administration was “not to ever second-guess me again” on dealing with Hamas.
The two leaders spoke Wednesday in a particularly combative phone call, the WSJ reported. US officials complain Netanyahu has pushed the administration aside yet still wants the US to provide security assurances in exchange for signing a sustainable ceasefire agreement.
Meantime, a five-day ceasefire continued Thursday as negotiators work in Cairo to reach a deal. Since fighting broke out last month in the Gaza Strip, more than 1,900 Palestinians have died, while Israel has lost 67 — all but three soldiers — according to an Associated Press tally.